


Zelos Works at Subway

by silver_fish



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack, M/M, Subway, almost the whole squad goes to subway, im really serious about subway thats all, kratos is Tired, kratos voice dr phil my son is a subway addict, lloyd is obsessed with subway, ok maybe its like a little fluffy also but seriously this is crack its just written seriously, overprotective dad kratos is my main man whats new, who the fuck is zelos and why does he work at subway, why do i write all my crack fics about fast food restaurants...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-24 10:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14952770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/pseuds/silver_fish
Summary: Zelos works at Subway.Lloyd kinda likes Subway.





	Zelos Works at Subway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sureimiku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureimiku/gifts).



> im crying thanks toz discord chat and izzy and aki bot especially for this beautiful au. i have been So Privileged to be able to write it , you can find mine and izzy's subway worker zelos memes on my twitter probably. izzy i hope u love this!! nothing but respect for my subway worker president owo
> 
> (also i wanted to include the whole cast but it just didnt work rip,,,, mentions of dirk anna regal and alicia Exist they just dont appear :c)
> 
> p.s. i apologize for bringing my shitty crack fics to this dying tag. i swear i have good fic wips too LMAO,,, like five years' worth,,,, i just need to like. finish them first.

The first time they meet it is with a pane of glass and a steak and cheese sub between them.

Lloyd, an avid Subway-lover since childhood, has had a tradition of going to the fast food restaurant on the fifteenth day and the thirtieth day of every month for years, now. Sometimes he goes alone. Sometimes his dad takes him. Sometimes his other dad takes him. Sometimes he takes his best friends.

But about three months ago, there was a new worker there.

His name tag says _Zelos_ , but his face says _beautiful_.

Admittedly, Lloyd has returned to Subway more than his allotted six times since then.

In fact, he goes about once a week, now. _At least_.

Genis says he has an obsession, but Colette just beams and says, “At least it’s not drugs!”

It’s not Colette or Genis who first points out Lloyd’s impressive ability to be at Subway when Zelos is working, though. Rather, it is Zelos’s co-worker, Sheena, who Lloyd has befriended throughout his years of eating Subway sandwiches.

On a rainy May afternoon, when Lloyd has brought Colette and Genis to the chain restaurant with him, Sheena comes to sit at their table. When Genis accuses her of being a lazy worker, she dismissively informs him that she’s taking her break. Though Genis looks like he wants to protest, he doesn’t, and the lull in conversation allows for Sheena to turn to Lloyd and say, hushed, “You’re not seriously interested in that—that _guy_ , right?”

Lloyd blinks. “I— What?”

“Zelos,” she says impatiently. “Please tell me you’re not interested in him, Lloyd, I swear to—”

“Oh.” Lloyd pauses, thinking. “I mean, I guess he seems all right. He makes decent subs, at least.”

Sheena gapes at him for a moment, then shakes herself. “Th-that’s, like, his _job_!”

“Well, he clearly does it pretty well,” Colette says brightly. “He seems nice enough to me.”

“Yeah,” Lloyd agrees. “He’s very friendly.”

“He called me angel!” Colette adds, beaming.

“Th-that’s not…” Sheena heaves a large sigh. “He’s a total player. He calls every girl who comes within ten metres of him _angel_ or some variation of it.”

“It’s still nice,” Colette protests. “I don’t think he’s got bad intentions, Sheena!”

“Now that you mention it, though,” Genis speaks up, “I kinda see what you’re saying. Every time we’ve come here with Lloyd lately, he’s been here.”

“What a happy coincidence!” Colette claps her hands together, smiling.

“I don’t think it’s really a coincidence, is what I’m saying,” Genis mutters.

“Oh.” She blinks, her lips turning down into a frown. “I don’t get it.”

“Maybe Lloyd’s obsession with this place isn’t just about the food,” Genis surmises.

“Eh?” Lloyd mirrors Colette’s expression. “What are you trying to say, Genis?”

Genus and Sheena exchange a look which Lloyd cannot even hope to decipher, and then Sheena ventures a, “Maybe you have a _crush_ on him?”

Lloyd splutters. “ _What_?”

“Oh, that would be so cute!” Colette cheers. “We could set you guys up!”

“ _No_!” Sheena hisses. “He’s a—a total shit-head!”

“What do you mean?” Colette cranes her neck to look at where Zelos is, serving another customer. Lloyd follows her gaze, and at the same moment, Zelos looks up. Their eyes meet across the building, then Zelos’s lips lift into a grin and he shoots Lloyd a wink before turning his focus on the sub he is putting together again.

Colette giggles. “Maybe he likes you, Lloyd!”

Lloyd blinks, dazed. “W-what makes you think that?”

Sheena rubs her temples tiredly. “I don’t like this,” she mutters.

“Is this guy really such a slime bag?” Genis asks, eyebrows furrowed. “I admit, he seemed a little flirtatious, but it felt like a show more than anything.”

“He’s a dick,” Sheena assures him. “One hundred percent dick.” She pauses, then hastily adds, “ _And not in a good way_.”

“Well, you work with him,” Lloyd says slowly, “so you definitely know him better than any of us.”

Sheena groans. “Why do I feel like there’s a _but_ in there somewhere?”

Lloyd offers her a sheepish smile. “Well…”

“Lloyd…” She sighs. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you, okay?”

“Okay,” he agrees. “But I wouldn’t worry—”

“Hey, Sheena!”

They all freeze, turning to look towards the counter, where Zelos is standing with a rather annoyed look on his face. Even frowning, he remains beautiful, picturesquely gorgeous in every way imaginable.

“It’s lunchtime, you know!”

Sheena scowls. “Gimme a minute!”

She turns back to Lloyd, but hesitates a moment. Whatever she wants to say hangs suspended in the air, and then she stands up and breaks through it saying, “I’ll see you guys around. Have a good day!” before rushing back to the counter just as the first customers of the lunch rush come in, slowly followed by more and more, until the line is piled back to the door.

“I’m glad we came when we did,” Colette remarks, carefully folding the paper her sub was wrapped in into a small square.

“No kidding,” Genis agrees. “Well, are you ready to go, Lloyd?”

“Sure.” He grabs their waste off the table and stands up, leading his friends to the garbage and then out the door. He lets them go ahead, then steals one glance back. Zelos and Sheena are hard at work, occasionally looking up to each other and exchanging a couple works but otherwise remaining focussed on the customers walking through their queue.

“Lloyd?”

Lloyd jumps, looking out the door to see Colette and Genis waiting for him—the former a little more patiently than the latter.

“Coming,” he says quickly, rushing out the door to join his friends.

It’s not like he’s leaving anything _behind_. He’ll be back soon, after all.

* * *

Well, he comes back the regular amount of times, of course, but around the middle of June, just days before his birthday, he is informed that he’ll be going an extra time.

“Apparently, this is the general consensus,” Kratos explained, though he looked far from thrilled. “Of course, if you don’t want to—”

“Of course I want to!” Lloyd beamed. “Thanks, Dad!”

Though this seemed to soften him slightly, Kratos still looked a touch disappointed in this response.

Still, a few days later, on the day of Lloyd’s birthday, their party of seven goes to the local Subway and—this time truly by coincidence—Lloyd immediately sees that Sheena and Zelos are working.

Sheena sees them enter and perks up. “Hey! Happy birthday, Lloyd!”

Due to the earlier hour, there is nobody else here for the dinner rush yet, and so Lloyd approaches the counter with a grin.

“Thanks, Sheena,” he says brightly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Zelos glancing over at them, but he says nothing.

“Eighteen, right?”

“Yep!”

“Hope this isn’t your only outing for the day,” she teases. “Have to celebrate adulthood in a fun way, too, right?”

He frowns. “I think this is fun.”

She stares at him, aghast.

“C’mon, Lloyd, let’s make a line!” Colette encourages. “You should go first!”

“Okay,” he agrees, and now Sheena pushes the glass which covers the sub ingredients up.

“Let me guess,” she says. “Steak and cheese?”

“Same as ever.”

Her lips twitch slightly, but she pulls out the bread and begins filling it.

Eventually, she passes it on to Zelos, who accepts it and looks up to Lloyd with a familiar wry grin.

“Hey, sexy,” he coos. “What can I getcha?”

“It’s Lloyd,” he corrects, surveying the vegetables before him.

He pauses, though, realizing that the hum of conversation behind him has suddenly faded away.

“Don’t think about it too hard, Kratos,” he hears Sheena says quickly. “Let me serve you.”

Lloyd looks over, eyebrows furrowed.

“That your dad?” Zelos asks, voice much lower, now, for some reason.

“Ah, yeah…”

He purses his lips. “I see.”

Lloyd puts the weird moment behind him and begins directing Zelos on what to put on his sub. Once he finishes, Zelos takes him to the counter to pay, but instead of ringing the sub through, he leans forward on his elbows, his red hair swaying rather majestically.

“So, it’s your birthday, huh?” He clicks his tongue. “Pretty special.”

“I—I guess so, yeah.”

“Well, ya only turn eighteen once.” He winks. “You know, there’s this bar—”

“Zelos!” Sheena snaps, and he jumps, clearly not having expected it.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m coming.” He straightens up, throwing a quick look towards Lloyd with his mouth open, as if he is about to say something, but then he closes it and hurries to Sheena’s side to help out with the others.

Eventually, they all get up to the till, and Yuan and Raine direct Genis, Colette, and Presea to a couple tables, spending a moment to push them together before sitting down.

Zelos rings everything through, then looks to Kratos with an odd look in his eyes.

“That everything?” he asks, and there is an edge to his voice that Lloyd cannot say he has ever heard before.

“Yes,” Kratos says curtly, pulling out his wallet.

“No, I’ll cover this,” Zelos says easily, putting a hand out.

Sheena, who was leaning down to put away the salt and pepper shaker, promptly drops it.

“Zelos, what the—?”

He waves a flippant hand at her. “Consider it a birthday gift to my favourite customer.” He sends Lloyd a wink. “Just give me an extra few minutes on my break, is all.”

“Eh?” She straightens up, scowling. “Why are you saying that like you’re doing _me_ a favour?!”

Kratos sighs, putting his wallet away again.

“You know,” Lloyd speaks up, “you don’t have to—”

Zelos grins. “I _want_ to! Have a good birthday—” He cuts himself off with a cough, then awkwardly adds, “Er, bud.”

“Thanks.” Lloyd beams, then turns and follows Kratos as the older man carries their food to the tables the others have chosen.

They sit down and distribute the food. Lloyd finds himself squished between Kratos and Colette, with Yuan, Genis, and Presea across from them. Raine sits at the head of the table, almost like a queen.

“I just don’t get what Sheena was saying,” Colette says. “He really paid for this all? He’s so nice!”

“I don’t think he’s intentions are really just being nice,” Yuan tells her, putting his elbow against the table with a sigh.

“Huh? What do you mean, Yuan?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Raine says. “I think it’s probably not best to discuss it.”

“Yes,” Yuan agrees. “Lest Kratos explodes with the knowledge that his dear son is, in fact, an adult.”

Lloyd frowns, looking between Yuan and Kratos uncertainly. The two men have been close friends since long before Lloyd was even born. He’d met them when he was about thirteen, when Kratos heard a rumour that a Lloyd Irving was living around here. He had been told Lloyd was dead, after his late wife passed away in an accident. Lloyd was only about three, but he’d been found near the outskirts of his hometown, his mother barely breathing. Dirk got their names—Anna and Lloyd Irving—before she passed away. They had no way of knowing if Lloyd’s father was still around; Anna Irving was not a legal citizen (though Lloyd later learned from Kratos that she was trying to go through the process) and she had never married. In Anna and Lloyd’s sudden absence from Kratos’s life, he relied very heavily on Yuan, but Lloyd wonders how they have managed to stay friends so long, when they bicker like an old married couple.

“H-hey, Presea,” Genis speaks up, “your sister works here, right?”

“Yes,” Presea says. “Her fiancé is the manager.”

“Wow! That’s incredible.”

“...I guess it is, yes.”

“So, Lloyd,” Raine says, ignoring her brother and his blatant crush, “you’re staying here another year, right?”

Lloyd sighs. He’s heard this before.

“Yeah,” he says, for what is surely the millionth time. “I don’t really know what I want to do, so…”

“Well, you should be—”

“Oh, Lloyd!” Colette interrupts, pointing towards the counter. “Look! He’s coming over here!”

Lloyd almost chokes on his own saliva. “ _What_?”

As he follows Colette’s finger, he sees that, indeed, Zelos has stepped out from behind the counter is walking towards them, his hair, tied up in a ponytail, swishes behind him rather dramatically for a simple walk across a Subway.

“Wonderful,” he hears Kratos mutter behind him, but he can’t focus on the implications of that, because his heart is beating fast and his mouth is dried completely.

Zelos comes up to their table, offering a lazy smile. “I hate to interrupt,” he says, “but I hoped I could sit for a minute.”

Lloyd chances a look at his father; the man’s lips are closed rather firmly, and, across from him, Yuan looks like he’s trying very hard not to laugh.

Raine sighs, from the opposite end of the table as Zelos is standing. “I think it’s Lloyd’s decision,” she offers.

“Oh.” Lloyd blinks, swinging his head back to look at Zelos again. “Well, sure. Why not? The more the merrier, right?”

“That’s right, bud,” Zelos agrees heartily, pulling a chair from another table and putting it at the end of the table, opposite Raine and…

Right in between Yuan and Kratos.

“Are you friends with Lloyd?” Yuan asks him, probably more to fill than silence than out of genuine curiosity.

“Well, we see each other just about every day,” Zelos says easily, leaning back in his seat. “But I wouldn’t call us friends, no.”

“Interesting of you to buy a meal for his entire family, then,” Yuan remarks, voice dry as ever.

“Ah, I never said I didn’t _want_ to be friends.”

“Friends, huh?” Yuan laughs. “Be careful, kid.”

Zelos’s face twitches a bit. “Er...thanks?”

“Oh, Zelos!” Colette cries suddenly. “We didn’t get a chance to thank you for that!”

“For what, angel?”

“For the food!”

He blinks, then lets out a low chuckle. “It’s nothin’, really. I’m sure Lloyd’s pockets get tired of this place, yeah?”

Lloyd feels his cheeks sting a bit. “I—I don’t come here _that_ much.”

“Well, I don’t know.” Zelos rests a hand against the table, tapping one finger against the surface in contemplation. “You’re in here at least once a week when I am. I’m sure you’re around more, too, right?”

“Doubt it,” Genis mutters. “Since he only comes when you’re here.”

Kratos’s face looks a little red, Lloyd notes with concern.

Zelos raises an eyebrow. “Oh? I didn’t know.”

Lloyd coughs, his cheeks searing. “Th-that’s—”

“That’s what, bud?” Zelos is grinning. Lloyd gets the feeling that he’s enjoying this.

Lloyd opens his mouth, then closes it again, words failing him utterly.

“I see you inherited your father’s romantic skills,” Yuan says.

“ _Yuan_ ,” Kratos snaps, strained.

“Just an observation,” the man defends.

Kratos sniffs. “Keep your observations to yourself, then.”

“Th-there’s nothing romantic!” Lloyd cries.

His friends and family all turn to look at him, dubious, while Zelos laughs, that stupid beautiful laugh, like the song of a grand chorister, like a goddamn _angel_ , like—

His thoughts stop, replaced by a painful roaring in his ears.

“Maybe we shouldn’t tease Lloyd,” Presea says quietly. “It would appear he has grown too flustered to process anything anymore.”

“An astute observation,” Raine agrees. “Zelos, was it? If you have something to Lloyd, you should just say it and go, before things grow worse.”

“Professor!” Colette frowns. “That’s mean!”

“It might be true, though,” Yuan points out. “We’d better not break him.”

“Might be too late for that,” Genis says, snickering, and Lloyd _tries_ to fix him with a glare, but he cannot tear his eyes away from Zelos, and he cannot do anything but stare with wide eyes and pink cheeks.

Zelos pulls his hand away from the table and plays with a loose strand of hair, which is normally tied up when he works. Lloyd suspects that it’s probably quite beautiful when he lets it down, and then feels his blush somehow grow even warmer at the thought.

“Well, I just mean—eighteen? You can’t just sit around here to celebrate. Gotta do somethin’ fun, right, bud?”

Lloyd barely even registers that Zelos is asking him a question, but manages a small incline of his head that isn’t really an answer at all anyway.

“You ought to let someone take you out,” Zelos finishes, leaning forward. Lloyd watches, mesmerized by the way his hair swings with the movement.

“I disagree,” Kratos speaks up, awfully mild-sounding for the hostile words.

“Always the stick in the mud,” Yuan grumbles. “ _Anna_ wouldn’t be so strict, you know.”

Kratos scowls at him. “Don’t say—”

“W-whoa,” Lloyd says, suddenly finding his voice again. “It’s not a big deal. Let’s not fight about it.”

“Oh, well, I’m just saying, Kratos is too strict with you.” Yuan raises one eyebrow at him, almost challenging. “Don’t you agree?”

Before Lloyd can do anything about it, both Yuan and Kratos are staring him down, both of them begging him to take his side.

“Uh, no comment?” he offers weakly.

They both open their mouths, but it is not either of their voices which carries over to Lloyd:

“Zelos! Get off your lazy ass!” Sheena barks.

He jumps, banging his wrist against the table with a painful _thump_.

“Ouch!” he yelps, standing up hurriedly, almost as if he’s been burned.

“It’s just about when people start coming for dinner, huh?” Genis muses. “It’s a good thing we came so earlier.”

“Is it, though?” Raine wonders, sounding rather tired.

“W-well, I have to get back to work, _I guess_ , but—” He cuts himself off, coughing, then resurfaces with a large smile. “You never answered my question, bud.”

“Your...your what?”

Zelos’s lips do not fall at all, to Lloyd’s utter amazement.

“I said someone ought to take you out.”

Lloyd frowns. “That’s not really a question.”

There is a collective sigh around the table, but Zelos only laughs.

“Oh, that’s adorable,” he says.

“I believe he’s asking you on a date, Lloyd,” Yuan says, taking a sip of water from the bottle Zelos purchased for him.

Lloyd splutters. “A— What?!”

“My, you’re thick.” Zelos grins, putting a hand on the table and leaning past Yuan and Kratos. “Did you really never pick up on it, every time you were here?”

“On—on _what_?”

“I’d assume he means he’s been flirting with you for a great number of months,” Raine says, mirroring Yuan’s tone almost perfectly.

“You’re as smart as you are beautiful.” Zelos says shoots her a wink. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Though, you seem to have a good friend in Sheena; she told me if I—”

“ _Zelos_!”

“Ah, speak of the devil.” He straightens up, looking disappointed, and then turns to look at her with a scowl. “Jeez, I’m _coming_ , don’t get so worked up.”

But customers are beginning to file in through the door. Lloyd wonders at their uncanny ability to travel in packs, despite not knowing one another.

Zelos curses under his breath. “W-well, never mind, then. The offer still stands, though. You know where to find me once you have an answer!”

Lloyd opens his mouth, but no words come out. Zelos remains for about five seconds, watching him, and then turns on his heels and jogs over to Sheena to help her out.

“Well,” Raine says. “That certainly was...eventful.”

“He’s so nice!” Colette says brightly. “You should go out with him, Lloyd!”

“Well, I’ve no doubts he would pay for you, if nothing else,” Yuan offers thoughtfully. “I don’t know that I would say he’s _nice_ , though.”

“He is pretty, if nothing else,” Genis remarks. “But I think I kinda see why Sheena hates him so much.”

“I don’t think Sheena _really_ hates him,” Colette insists. “Look! They work so well together.”

“I think that might just be their job,” Presea offers, uncertain.

“He looks untrustworthy,” Kratos says.

Yuan rolls his eyes at this. “So what? Lloyd, do you like him?”

“I…” The whole table is looking at him, now, breaths held. “I— Er, I don’t really…”

“We shouldn’t pressure him,” Kratos says flatly. “Just because you want him to say yes, Yuan, doesn’t mean _he_ wants to.”

But Lloyd’s answer sits on the tip of his tongue, too stubborn to squeeze out between his lips. It’s not really any of their _business_ , he thinks, if he thinks Zelos is very attractive and has beautiful hair and gorgeous eyes and a body unparalleled to any other Lloyd has ever scene, surely even more attractive than a celebrity or a model or maybe even a god.

Yuan simply shrugs, though, and they resume their meal, an easier conversation coming into place of the old one. Lloyd sees Genis showing off his over-filled sub to Presea, who looks unimpressed, and manages to look even more unimpressed as Genis tries to fit it in his mouth all at once, only to start laughing as the contents of the sandwich began to fall away from between the bread, spilling on him. He flushes red with embarrassment, but Raine only sighs and offers him a few napkins.

They exchange stories of Lloyd they’ve all made over the past eighteen years, but Lloyd cannot find his heart in it the way the rest of them seem able to. Instead, half of his attention is on Zelos, on Zelos’s offer and Zelos’s kindness in paying for their meal and Zelos’s stupid pretty laugh and stupid pretty hair and—

“It’s starting to get late,” Raine remarks, drawing Lloyd out of his thoughts.

Indeed, the restaurant has cleared out significantly again. The sun outside is on its way down, but orange light still flood in from the window, giving everything it touches it a faint glow. When Yuan checks the time, he confirms that it is about eight o’clock.

“I suppose we should get going, then,” Kratos says, standing up. “We have to get back to Dirk’s house, after all…”

“W-wait,” Lloyd says, an odd feeling rising in his chest. “You guys can go. I’m going to…” He trails off, looking away from Kratos and towards Zelos, who catches his look and winks. Quickly, he turns away again, his cheeks warming again.

Kratos’s jaw visibly tightens, but Yuan comes to his side and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t,” he advises. “It’s not your choice.” He turns to Lloyd, lips twitching upwards a bit. “Well, if that’s what you want to do, go ahead, Lloyd. We’ll see you soon.”

The others all offer similar sentiments, and they all turn towards the door. But Kratos hesitates a moment, his face twisted in a way that makes it look as if leaving Lloyd here alone is somehow painful. Before Lloyd can say anything, though, Yuan grabs the man’s arm forcefully, muttering something like, “Come on, you stupid jackass,” and pushing Kratos out the door ahead of him. He stops and offers a wave and a quick smile to Lloyd before stepping out after Kratos.

Lloyd lets out a long breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in, then steps up to the counter again. Zelos looks up as he approaches, and leans casually towards him with a grin.

“So?” he presses. “You thought about it, right?”

“I did,” Lloyd says. “I’ll accept your offer.”

Zelos straightens, his lips pulling up even higher. “Sweet. I was worried maybe your dad might talk you out of he. He seems a little, uh…”

“Protective,” Sheena fills in from his side. “That’s ‘cause he is. And if you break Lloyd’s heart, every one of them—and myself—will be out for you, got it, asshole?”

Zelos’s smile doesn’t fall at this, but he doesn’t seem to find it overly funny, either. Instead, he turns to Lloyd and says, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Lloyd’s breath catches in his throat.

 _He’s so fucked_.

“Anyway,” Zelos continues, “I’m stuck here for another two hours or so, so—”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Sheena tells him, going around him to get to his other side. “I’ll vouch for you. Kinda uncool to ask a guy on a date and then make him wait, you know.”

“Ah, Sheena!” He puts a hand over his heart, pretending to swoon. “This is why you’re my best wingwoman.”

“Shut up,” she grumbles, “before I change my mind.”

“Okay, okay!” He scurries away from her, heading to the back to retrieve his belongings, then comes out from around the counter. “Just give me a sec, so I can get changed.”

Lloyd nods, and he turns and makes his way to the washroom. Once he’s gone, Sheena says, “I hope you took my warning seriously.”

“I definitely thought about it.”

She’s quiet for a moment, wiping a spot on the counter repeatedly; Lloyd thinks she has been wiping it for almost three minutes, now.

Finally, she says, “Maybe you’re different, though. He talks differently to you.”

“...You think so?”

She shrugs. “Maybe. But, you know, if he fucks with your feelings, I can—”

Her next words are cut off as Zelos reappears, dressed in a very simple black T-shirt and skinny jeans. He’s let his hair down, too, Lloyd realizes, mouth going dry again. Just as he expected, it is beautiful, cascading over his shoulders in little red waterfalls.

Red is Lloyd’s favourite colour, but he never knew he had a favourite _shade_ of it until now.

“Well?” Zelos asks, stepping up close to him. “Ready to go?”

Lloyd looks back to Sheena, and she offers him a weak but encouraging smile.

He turns to Zelos with a grin. “Definitely,” he says.

They leave the Subway together, close enough that their hands brush against one another.

Lloyd has a feeling that he’ll be back here more than usual, from now on.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are always appreciated! xx
> 
> catch me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/laphicets) or [tumblr](http://guremahi.tumblr.com)!


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